Judy Picard on fri 29 sep 06
I want to apply very damp precolored slip molded art [typically Celtic lace] on to very damp slip/clay. I know not to use acrylic stains in anything to be fired.
I checked out the Mason stains site and found nothing about coloring clay, only glazes. I wrote Mason but they have not responded so now I bother you experts.
I'm talking about making up a few babyfood jars of colored slip until I have my technique down pat.
Would someone please give me instructions of specifically what to use and in what proportions to color slip?
Would ordinary slip work on both slip and clay or would I have to mix up a separate batch of clay, too. I usually work with ^06-^04 materials.
You help would be appreciated.
Judy
in Albuquerque, NM
---------------------------------
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Bonnie Hellman on sat 30 sep 06
This seems like a good time to mention that Vince will be giving one of his
outstanding "Colored Clay" workshops at my Ouray, Colorado studio early this
coming June, only 8 months away.
The dates are June 4th- June 8th, 2007 Monday through Friday.
The place is my ceramic studio in the beautiful San Juan Mountains, in
Ouray, Colorado.
It's not too early to start planning!
For more information on Vince Pitelka's colored clay workshop go to:
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/workshops/colored_clay.htm
For more information on travel to Ouray, and other details, contact me:
Bonnie Hellman
email: mou10ms at frontier.net
My telephone number is on Vince's workshop information page:
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/workshops/scheduled_workshops.htm
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Bonnie
----- Original Message -----
From: "Vince Pitelka"
To:
Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2006 6:20 PM
Subject: Re: coloring slip/clay
>> Would someone please give me instructions of specifically what to use and
>> in what proportions to color slip?
>
> Judy -
> Assuming that your claybody is white, it would be best to use a slip made
> from your claybody. Regarding Mason stains, there is no specific
> guideline
> as to the amount to add. The more you add, the more intense the color,
> but
> you must remember that the Mason stain is a fritted glass - a non-plastic
> material that will change the behavior of your slip if added in excessive
> quantities. I have added up to 30% Mason stain to get a really intense
> jet
> black from Mason 6600 Best Black. You need to use higher percentages to
> get
> saturated colors at low-fire temperatures. The higher you fire, the less
> stain you need in order to get the same shade or tint. Even with 30%
> colorant, the colored clay or slip performed just fine at low-fire
> temperatures. You just need to purchase a quantity of Mason stains and do
> some experiments with varying additions of stain in order to learn about
> the color range available to you.
>
> You can also color slips with the standard ceramic coloring oxides, but
> you
> will find a much broader color range available from Mason stains. The
> price
> seems high when you are looking at some of the more expensive colors, but
> a
> pound of Mason stain will color a great deal of slip or clay.
>
> You are embarking on a wonderful adventure. It is such fun experimenting
> with Mason stains in slips on low-fired ware, because all of the Mason
> colors work at low-fire temperatures, whereas at higher temperatures some
> of
> the colors are fugitive.
>
> If it is of interest to you, you can see the low-fired (cone 03) colored
> clay work that I did in grad school at
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/gallery/early%20work/early_work.htm. You
> could expect the same range of colors in slips colored with Mason stains.
> You can find information about my colored clay techniques at
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/gallery/techniques/techniques.htm, and the
> percentages of colorants mentioned would work equally well for slips.
>
> Good luck with your experiments.
> - Vince
>
> Vince Pitelka
> Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
> Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
> vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
> http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
>
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Vince Pitelka on sat 30 sep 06
> Would someone please give me instructions of specifically what to use and
> in what proportions to color slip?
Judy -
Assuming that your claybody is white, it would be best to use a slip made
from your claybody. Regarding Mason stains, there is no specific guideline
as to the amount to add. The more you add, the more intense the color, but
you must remember that the Mason stain is a fritted glass - a non-plastic
material that will change the behavior of your slip if added in excessive
quantities. I have added up to 30% Mason stain to get a really intense jet
black from Mason 6600 Best Black. You need to use higher percentages to get
saturated colors at low-fire temperatures. The higher you fire, the less
stain you need in order to get the same shade or tint. Even with 30%
colorant, the colored clay or slip performed just fine at low-fire
temperatures. You just need to purchase a quantity of Mason stains and do
some experiments with varying additions of stain in order to learn about
the color range available to you.
You can also color slips with the standard ceramic coloring oxides, but you
will find a much broader color range available from Mason stains. The price
seems high when you are looking at some of the more expensive colors, but a
pound of Mason stain will color a great deal of slip or clay.
You are embarking on a wonderful adventure. It is such fun experimenting
with Mason stains in slips on low-fired ware, because all of the Mason
colors work at low-fire temperatures, whereas at higher temperatures some of
the colors are fugitive.
If it is of interest to you, you can see the low-fired (cone 03) colored
clay work that I did in grad school at
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/gallery/early%20work/early_work.htm. You
could expect the same range of colors in slips colored with Mason stains.
You can find information about my colored clay techniques at
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/gallery/techniques/techniques.htm, and the
percentages of colorants mentioned would work equally well for slips.
Good luck with your experiments.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
Snail Scott on sun 1 oct 06
On Sep 30, 2006, at 12:18 AM, Judy Picard wrote:
> I checked out the Mason stains site and found nothing about coloring
> clay, only glazes. ..
> Would someone please give me instructions of specifically what to use
> and in what proportions to color slip?
Well, that would depend on what color you want to
end up with. It takes much more stain to get a strong
color in slip than it does in glaze, since clay is opaque.
Pastel colors can be had with maybe 5%, but you
may need 30% or more for the most vivid hues. Only
testing will tell you what will happen for sure with
your materials, and only you can decide what color
strength is appropriate for your intent.
You can use regular clay to make a decorating slip,
IF you apply it while the underlying clay is still quite
damp. If you want to apply it to stiffened, leather-hard,
or even drier clay, you will need to add increasing
percentages of non-plastic materials, or else the slip
will crack as it shrinks during drying. With the addition
of other materials, the concoction will become what's
referred to as an engobe. An easy way to do this
would be to add calcined clay. 10 or 20 % will give a
mix that will work on leather-hard; 30% may be
needed for dry greenware, but this varies with each
clay. Clays with a very high shrinkage will need more
adjustment to compensate. You will need to test using
your own materials.
Remember that stains themselves are non-plastic,
and can account for some or all of any needed non-
plastic content. Very high stain content can also
affect vitrification, since most stains are refractory,
and some added flux may be needed to make it
behave compatibly with the underlying clay.
The thicker the slip or engobe, the less forgiving it
will be of incompatible shrinkage rates. Since what
you are describing is likely on the thick side, it will
be worth the effort to test a range of mixes.
The whiter your clay, the brighter the colors you will
get from stains. A clay which is not pure white will
contain its own colorants - mainly some amount of
iron - and this will mute the colors a bit, which may
be desirable or not. (Premium comic books are now
printed on bright white paper, but I always liked the
colors better on off-white newsprint.)
-Snail
Chris Campbell on mon 2 oct 06
One thing no one has mentioned yet
is that not all Mason stains can be used
to color clay bodies due to chemical
interactions between clay and stain.
Go to their website where you will find a
complete list of stains and a reference guide
to help you select the right ones for your
application.
Their color charts specify the stains they
recommend to be used with clay bodies.
http://www.masoncolor.com
Good Luck
Chris Campbell - in North Carolina - p.s. ... the clear glaze
you might use over it can also adversely affect the colors.
Chris Campbell Pottery LLC
9417 Koupela Drive
Raleigh NC 27615-2233
Fine Colored Porcelain since 1989
1-800-652-1008
Fax : 919-676-2062
website: www.ccpottery.com
wholesale : www.wholesalecrafts.com
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH ...
See the movie and pass the word on.
Your grandchildren will thank you.
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